Smart Business Magazine, May 2019

18 Smart Business Cleveland May 2019 Time to work together Government business leaders could learn a lot from each other Too many times however we act like its us vs them Business leaders can learn lessons from public officials and politicians at the local state and national levels Quite often I have an opportunity to share business insights with political leaders who are interested in learning how a particular legislative move might impact the business community This is big picture thinking This is acting as a public servant and working for the people In that spirit here are three lessons that the government can learn from business to create a stronger society Collaborate Collaborate with others to make a bigger impact We do not operate in a vacuum our lives are not separated into silos for family business investments faith community and so on How can we connect the dots By asking this question before we take action we will be more effective leaders How can we help each other create jobs How can we boost the economy How can we create more opportunities for vendors suppliers clients friends and neighbors How can we help others generate more profit and do more good When businesses thrive they pay more taxes which benefits the government which in turn benefits the people One success leads to another Consider the stakeholders How will the decisions you make impact the people who matter most to you in life How will they affect your family your employees your vendors your clients or your community Slow down and consider the potential outcome of your actions Who are you helping Who might you unintentionally hurt Who will benefit How can we all improve Follow consistent leaders There are lots of talking heads in politics and in business There are public officials who deliver party lines and sound bites They have a self serving agenda The same is true in business There are CEOs who are so engulfed in their successes that they forget how they got where they are or what their purpose is They ride the tide of whats popular rather than having tough conversations They dont want to lose their office the publics vote a big client or whatever They may be polished but they are not consistent They are not in touch with their stakeholders Successful leaders know what they are doing and where they are going Their values and ethics do not change to please a voter or client When we are honest and consistent when we know where were going and what were doing we get more done We help others When public and private sectors are strong and business and government leaders work together society as a whole benefits What happens in the business sector directly impacts the economy and individual access to wealth and success At the same time government actions influence the private sectors ability to create jobs provide benefits and compete in a world market The private and public sectors are part of the whole economy ENTREPRENEURIAL INVESTING UMBERTO P FEDELI UMBERTO P FEDELI CEO The Fedeli Group a Cleveland based firm specializing in employee benefits consulting as well as property and casualty risk management solutions Since 1988 Umberto has served as CEO ufedeli@ thefedeligroup com www thefedeligroup com Umberto P Fedeli is an honorary chair of ASPIRE 2019 which will take place on Thursday May 2 2019 at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel Learn more at www aspiredealmakers com

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